Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan: Full Album Shows ‘Smack of Consumerism’

Smashing Pumpkins have done some interesting things with set lists over the years, but one thing you shouldn't expect is the band ever revisiting past albums in full. According to Billy Corgan, he's not a fan of the practice, even though there are plenty of acts who've embraced playing albums in their entirety.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Corgan remarked, "The idea of getting up and playing an album that was never meant to be played live in that sequence smacks of consumerism. That stuff is the dregs of the music business. I have a hard time believing that everybody out there doing it really wants to do it."

That being said, Corgan does embrace the love that has been expressed by fans for certain albums. He states of Siamese Dream, "I'm proud to have made such an album that's important. The millennials love Siamese Dream. Who'd've guessed, I mean, no one's harder on the millennials than me. But they loved Siamese Dream? Great! But I'm not gonna go out there and hack around just to reclaim some light that I don't feel has gone out. The light is still in my eyes. I'm still more than capable of producing new work. I wrote a new song this morning and that's what I'm out here doing."

Corgan says he feels that the trend of playing full albums is starting to play itself out as it's not as prominent as it was a few years ago. Meanwhile, there are other ways to put a unique spin on your catalog, and Corgan and his crew are on the "Plainsong" tour where they play stripped-down versions of songs from their catalog. Dates can be found here.